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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. content — the amount
  4. stock — shares
  5. chip — for betting
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to click
  8. object — a thing
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. object — an aim
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chip — to eat
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. foot — a measure
  15. pass — a permit
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. content — happy
  24. stock — goods

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com